Their Story
by Lindsey Dylan
Summary: What Kai was doing during BEFORE events of Book Three? What has Jinora been up to when she wasn't present? The basic retelling of the Legend of Korra that focuses on the solely lives of Kai and Jinora. (Eventual Kainora, a tiny bit of Jinoochy)
1. Their Story Begins

**Hey, guys! Welcome to another Kainora fanfic of mine! So, FYI, Kainora won't happen for a while, or whenever I start writing all the events that occur in Book Three. As of right now, I plan to shift from Jinora, then to Kai. However, some chapters will focus solely on Jinora. Other chapters may focus only on Kai. Everything will be told from the Third Person P.O.V. **

**Anyways, I'd like to give you guys a heads up before you start read. _Our Story_ will start with events from Book One. I will be tweaking some things as I see fit to make the story interesting. Like, you can definitely expect to read about my theory and what really happened in "Light in the Dark" before Raava is reunited with Korra.  
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**Now that's out of the way, let's move on!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF KORRA IN ANYWAYS AT ALL! (I wish I did though)_  
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**~Their Story~**

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><p><em><span><strong>~CHAPTER 1~<strong>_

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><p>While Jinora liked visiting her Gran Gran and Korra in the South Pole, she wasn't too thrilled about the fact that her siblings were tagging along. She would've preferred it if they could have just stayed home. However, she knew her parents would never agree to leave their children in the care of the Air Acolytes. Besides, Jinora was sure that Ikki and Meelo would either drive the Acolytes mad... or drive them off Air Temple Island. And, so, Jinora had choice but to put up with her siblings' crazy, annoying, childish antics.<p>

"I'm bored!" Jinora's little sister, Ikki, whined for the umpteenth time. Jinora rolled her eyes and simply picked up the little book that rested on her lap. She flipped it open to where she had left off and began to quietly read to herself. In attempt to block out her sister's unceasing complaints, Jinora buried her nose further into her book.

Books were the only thing Jinora cherished. Reading was life, in her opinion. Reading provided Jinora with everything: amusement, comfort, relief, joy, _distraction,_ etc. It was the only way Jinora got by each day she spent on Air Temple Island. Her father worked on the United Republic Council, meaning that he was a very busy man. And her heavily pregnant mother already had her hands full with carrying out her role and duty as both the wife of a councilman and the mother of three, soon-to-be-four, children.

It got a little lonely on Air Temple Island, and boring too. There weren't any other children on the island that Jinora could talk to, play with, or be friends with. Sure, she knew other children in Republic City, but she wouldn't exactly classify them as _friends_. They were more like acquaintances. They usually children of other council members or the wealthy, thus they were stuck up and being around them for too long made Jinora feel like she was being suffocated.

"Meelo, settle down."

Jinora peered over her book, hearing her mother's tired voice. Her little brother Meelo was running around the saddle while Ikki laughed at the crazy faces he made. Jinora shook her head and went back to quiet reading. Just when she started reading from where she left off, pain coursed through her feet as her toes felt as though they were throbbing. Jinora hissed in pain, dropping her book back onto her lap. "Meelo!" Jinora growled, clutching her foot. "Watch where you're going."

Meelo stopped running and looked over at his sister. He turned and ran to go sit next to their father, who was perched on top of Oogi the sky bison's head and held onto the reigns. Jinora sighed in annoyance and shifted to lie down on her back, gazing up into the sky. **This is going to be a long ride**, she thought.

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><p>"Stop!"<p>

"Thief!"

The boy looked over his shoulder and smiled, waving at the three guards that had been chasing after him. He turned at the corner of a clay-made house and found himself at a crowded street. Kai smirked as he pushed through people. "Just a little further, and I'm home free." He muttered to himself, hiding behind a rather chunky woman. He peered around her. The guards were making their way through the crowd as well, but they had split up into different directions. Kai backed away from the woman just as she was about to turn and quickly made to the other side of the street. "Look, over there!"

Kai cursed under his breath as he picked up the pace. His tan skin was glistening with sweat as the harsh sunlight burned him. He was tired and already out of breath, but he couldn't stop. Unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life in the slammer, he had to keep running. He didn't care where he was going as long as he got away from those guards. It had been a good week, and Kai definitely didn't want his luck to end today.

Most of his village's population were wealthy. They ate like kings every night. If anyone should be arrested, it should be them for wasting food. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to notice if two loaves of bread were missing. And Kai didn't even take the ones that were freshly baked. He took the ones that were about to go stale. He was doing everyone a favor.

**_Shu's Supply Store_**

The sign caught Kai's eye as he ran passed it. Well, it wasn't the sign. It was the thing lying by the sign on the ground. Kai stopped and turned, walking back. He picked up a long piece of fabric. It seemed to be big enough to cover his entire body. Kai inspected every inch of the colorful fabric, turning it back and front. _This might come in handy_, Kai thought as he folded the fabric up and wrapped the two loaves of bread inside.

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><p>Oogi let out a groan as he slowly began his descent from the setting skies. Jinora looked over his saddle. A person waving to them from down below caught her eye and Jinora smiled. "Gran Gran!" She chirped, crawling to sit at the front next to Ikki. Meelo made munching noises as he gnawed on his father's head while Ikki bombarded Tenzin with questions. Jinora heard her father make a noise of annoyance.<p>

"Are we there yet?" Ikki asked. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? It looks like we're there. I know it, this is _very_ familiar! Are we here yet? Are we here yet? Ooh, _please_ tell me we're here!"

"Yes, Ikki, as I have been telling you for the last _fifteen_ minutes, we are _finally_ here." Tenzin sighed in relief. Ikki let out a delighted squeal. She excitedly zoomed along Oogi's tail on an air scooter while Jinora followed her younger sister's lead. Jinora watched Katara walk up to them as she and Ikki latched onto either of their father's sides and Meelo sat on Tenzin's shoulder while playing with his ears.

"Hello, Mother." Tenzin greeted the silver-haired woman formally, bowing with the utmost respect. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you... _Please,_ help me."

Jinora didn't hear the last part, she only heard her grandmother laugh. Katara reached up to take Meelo off of Tenzin's shoulders. "Unhand me, strange woman!" Meelo exclaimed as he waved his limbs about frantically.

"That's your grandmother, Meelo." Tenzin sighed. Meelo pushed off on Gran Gran's hand and somersaulted over the elderly woman's head, surprising her. He landed on the ground behind her and dashed away. Katara shook off her surprise and smiled again.

"It's so good to see all of you." She said warmly. Jinora took the opportunity and approached her grandmother.

"Gran Gran, I've been reading _all_ about your old adventures." Jinora stated, her eyes practically lighting up. "I've been dying to ask you, what happened to Zuko's mom?"

Jinora eagerly leaned forward with great interest when Katara opened her mouth to explain. "Well, Jinora, it's an incredible tale-"

"Gran Gran!" Jinora groaned in disappointment, folding her arms over her chest, when Ikki suddenly jumped in between her and their grandmother. Ikki jumped up and down excitedly with clapping her hands. "You look old. How old are you? And why is it so cold in the South Pole? Can we make a campfire, and all hurdle around it, and tell scary stories, and make snowmen? And then can you make the snowmen move with waterbending and chase us? Wouldn't that be _fun_? Huh? Wouldn't it?"

Jinora looked at Katara, who seemed unsure of how to respond to Ikki's enthusiasm. She hid her face with her hand in embarrassment. Jinora heard the snow crunch under footsteps, knowing that her grandmother had walked away. She turned and watched Katara approach her father, who was helping her mother get off of Oogi. Jinora turned her back on them and glared at Ikki. "Why do you always do that?" Jinora huffed.

"Do what?" Ikki stopped jumping and clapping. She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Interrupt me when I'm talking to someone!" Jinora replied. "You just did that a few seconds ago!"

"Your questions weren't really very important." Ikki shrugged.

"Like yours are?" Jinora placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at her sister.

"Well, yes, because, unlike yours, my questions are very interesting." Ikki stated.

"You are so..." Jinora fumbled to find the right word. It was difficult. Ikki was definitely a lot of things, so it was hard to describe her. Instead, Jinora let out a frustrated sigh. Ikki stuck out her nose and blew a raspberry at Jinora, who rolled her eyes, and walked off to play with Meelo. Jinora shook her head and followed after Ikki, knowing she'd get in trouble if she didn't make sure her siblings didn't get hurt or get into any trouble

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><p><em>Crash!<em>

Kai's eyes widened in shock as he suddenly fell over. He looked around and glared at the fallen barrel that had gotten in his way. He quickly got back on his feet and picked the barrel. A few giggles caused Kai's ears to perk up. _Girls_ were nearby. He turned around and smirked. He was right. There were girls nearby. They looked to be about his age and they weren't too bad-looking either. Judging by the fine silk fabrics of their robes and their polished appearance, they came from pretty wealthy families. Kai walked over to them. They whipped out their fans and hid part of their faces behind them. "Hello, _ladies."_ Kai greeted them, bowing as low as he could without falling or losing his balance.

"Hello." One of them greeted Kai softly.

"I hope girls as lovely as you three wouldn't mind if I hide here?" Kai asked as dragged the barrel over. "It's only for a little while."

"We do not mind at all." The second one giggled lightly, looking at him with a half-lidded gaze. He grabbed the barrel he had tripped over and stepped inside, crouching down. One of the girls grabbed the lid and placed it halfway on the barrel, allowing air to go in.

"Just pretend I'm not here and act like you haven't seen me at all." Kai stated. The girls nodded and turned their backs to him. Kai crouched down onto the ground as the girls' kept him shielded. Their long robes blocked his visions, but he could still hear footsteps approaching the group of girls.

"Excuse me, ladies, have you seen a boy with tan-skin, dark hair, and green eyes?" Kai heard a guard ask.

"He'd be about your age." Another one added.

"No, we're afraid we haven't." The last girl replied.

"Well, thank you anyways." The first guard sighed. Kai's eyes shook as the barrel slightly shook. He heard a thump and the barrel shook again.

"They're gone." He heard the girl whisper. Kai took a tiny peek outside and decided to take her word for it. He climbed out and sighed in relief.

"Thank you..." He trailed.

"Oh!" The first girl stated. "I'm Jia, and these are my friends, Song-Lee and Lì húa."

"I'm Kai... Well, it was nice meeting you." Kai flashed them another smile. "I'd love to stick around, but I have to get going... you know, in case the guards come back here. But I'll see you around"

"OK." The three girls giggled in unison as Kai stood on top of the barrel. He latched onto the awning of the building they stood in front of and pulled himself up. He climbed up, using the clay bricks as footholds. He reached the roof and jumped off the other side of it, landing in a huge pile of dirty clothing. "Kai, seven; Guards, zero." Kai laughed, getting back up on his feet.

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><p>It was nice to see Korra, but Jinora only wished that they could stay longer. However, her father was needed back in Republic City. That was the exact reason why Jinora and the others had left the South Pole for Republic City. "Why couldn't Korra come with us?" Ikki whined.<p>

"It's not safe in Republic City, given the current unstable situation." Tenzin sighed. "With Korra there, things will be sure to escalate and we wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

"But she looked so sad." Ikki stated.

"I know, but she'll just have to be patient." He replied. Jinora propped her cheek up against her fist while she gazed at the sky, sighing.

"Why didn't you just let me stay?" Jinora asked. "I could have helped train her."

"I wouldn't be able to sleep well at night if you stayed in the South Pole." Tenzin stated. "Besides, your grandmother has told me that Korra's never been able to airbend before so it might take a while."

Jinora let out a defeated sigh and watched as their house on Air Temple Island got closer and closer. Oogi landed smoothly on the grass as the Air Acolytes arrived to greet Tenzin and his family. "Welcome back, Master Tenzin." One of them stated. "We've kept your house nice and clean for you and family."

"Thank you." Tenzin nodded his gratitude and walked with his family back to their house. Jinora breathed in the familiar scent that always seemed to linger in their home and walked down the hall to her room, which was the first door on the right. She walked inside and closed the door.

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><p>Given Kai's current situation, staying in an old abandoned house that was ready to fall apart was better than sleeping in the streets. He sighed as he walked through the messy interior and cautiously walked up the stairs to the very top floor. It wasn't Kai's idea of a nice home, but it would do until he could find something better. <strong>(AN: That something better meaning Jinora :D)** If there was one thing Kai liked about the house, it was the view it provided from the top floor. From above, Kai could see people still walking out and about the streets. He was pretty sure those were the other street rats looking for food. _Food_. He unwrapped the fabric he still possessed and looked at the loaves of bread inside with guilt. He wanted to give the bread away, but he was hungry too. He knew that eating leftovers from the trash wasn't very fulfilling, or the least bit healthy. He also knew that he was being selfish, but it was their problem if they didn't want to steal.

_Steal only what you can't afford._

That was Kai's motto. His way of life. It wasn't that Kai had money, because he did. It's just that it wasn't enough to buy what he needed to survive, and he was planning to save up as much as he could. The first he was going to do when he earned enough: Get a ticket and hop on the train to Ba Sing Se. He knew what he wanted and he knew what he going to do. The first moment he stepped foot in Ba Sing Se, he was going to buy a house and, hopefully, meet a nice girl there. From there, he'd just let life take its course. "I'll get a job... maybe." He murmured to himself, breaking the bread. He took a bite out of it. It was still good, it hadn't gone stale yet. He expected it to in a few more days, though. However, he wouldn't be surprised if he had to steal again. This was probably the first time he's eaten in weeks, so there was no doubt he could eat two loaves in one sitting. He was practically starving anyways.

A half of the loaf was already gone, but Kai was still feeling a bit hungry. However, he decided to save it and the other loaf for later. As much as he'd like to just eat them in one go, he needed to keep his self-control. This was a good opportunity to lay low before he could back into town to steal more goods. Kai yawned, wrapping the fabric he found earlier around himself. His eyes felt heavy as they slowly closed. He blinked and his eyes fluttered close. He'd blink again and the same thing would happen again until the third time when they finally closed. His breathing slowed and he had drifted off into a much needed sleep.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you guys liked it! It wasn't much, I know. But I promise that things will start getting more interesting later on as the plot progresses. I'll also try to use foreshadowing to drop little Kainora hints every now and then, plus it'll be good practice :P<strong>

**So I'm guess you all want to know what Skoochy's role in my fanfic is. Well... That's a semi-secret, but I'll leave you all to guess. Feel free to post your theories, I'll definitely love to read them. So R&R! No flames please, however criticism will be gladly accepted. See you soon!**

**_~L. Dylan~_**

**Goal: 5-10 Reviews (please)**


	2. Their Preliminary

**Hey, guys! Thanks for all the reviews! It really means a lot to me to read about what you all thought about my story so far. Please accept these muffin baskets as a token of my gratitude *gives muffin baskets to readers***

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF KORRA IN ANYWAYS AT ALL! (If I did, Mako would've already had a girlfriend so we could be spared from all that Asami/Mako/Korra drama we had to go through.)_  
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**~Their Story~**

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><p><em><span><strong>~CHAPTER 2~<strong>_

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><p>Jinora sighed, peering over the top of her book. She watched as Ikki sat on the floor of her room, playing with dolls and giggling. She shut her book loudly, earning Ikki's attention. "Your giggling is distracting me from my book." Jinora stated.<p>

"Well... good then." Ikki huffed. "You read too much anyways. I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded yet."

Jinora rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Reading stimulates brain activity and creativity." Jinora replied. "If you'd just pick up a book every once in a while, you might find that you like reading too."

"But your books are boring, they don't have any drawings." Ikki stated.

"You don't need pictures to read, Ikki." Jinora scoffed. "Besides, I'm too old to still be reading picture books."

"Looking at pictures are fun though." Ikki countered.

"Forget it, just try not to be so loud." Jinora shook her head. Ikki nodded and returned to playing with her dolls. Jinora heard the swishing of fabric and looked over the top of her book again, spotting her father standing by her doorway. "Dad?"

"I was just making sure you and Ikki were OK." Tenzin stated, walking inside.

"We're fine, but where's Meelo?" Jinora replied.

"He's with your mother." Tenzin said. He cleared his throat. "I came here because I would appreciate it if you could all help me with Korra's first day of airbending training."

Ikki squealed. "Can we have an air scooter race?" Ikki asked. "Maybe we can play air-ball! Oh, or we can make fruit pies and fire them at the Air Acolytes using airbending! Ooh! Ooh! Wait- are we gonna start with the Bagua circle? Ooh! Can you teach us how to run on water instead? It would be so cool if you did, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? Huh?"

Tenzin blinked and shook his head. "When does training begin?" Jinora raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about the time, I'll come get you when it's time." Tenzin stated. Jinora nodded. Tenzin turned and walked out of Jinora's room.

"I still can't believe Korra is going to live with us!" Ikki squealed.

"I still can't believe Dad is letting her." Jinora said. Now that Korra had moved into their home, it was becoming a little more noisy and rambunctious than usual on Air Temple Island. Ikki and Meelo were already a handful with their childish antics and their energy. Adding Korra into the mix, it was Jinora's worst nightmare.

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><p>Kai woke up with a slight shiver, wrapping the cloth around him even tighter. His eyes blinked open when the warm rays of sunlight washed over them. He groaned and moved to stand, stretching his limbs. Kai heard chatter and the roars of Satomobiles coming from outside. For some reason the village felt... livelier. Kai folded up his cloth blanket and scooped up half of loaf of stale bread. He broke it into smaller halves and ate part of it.<p>

He watched the people interact in the streets below as he nibbled on his bread. The bright glint of dangling, expensive, _shiny_ jewelry had caught Kai's eye. It always had since the day he was first classified as a street rat. He could only image how much he were to get if got his hands on a load of them and just sold them off at a market in another village. He was definitely sure to make a fortune. Kai sighed. "Kai!"

His ears practically perked up as glanced down to the ground. He saw two girls and a boy standing outside his home: Lian, Xia, and Chen. Lian's tiny body was trembling as her amber eyes glistened as Xia and Chen both held her in their arms. That wasn't a good sign. Kai gulped as a sinking feeling settled in his gut, preparing himself for the bad news.

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><p>Jinora rolled her eyes as Ikki and Meelo chased each other around while Korra and her father approached them. "Korra's gonna airbend!" Ikki chirped excitedly. "Korra's gonna airbend!"<p>

"What is _that_ contraption?" Korra raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"A time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of airbending." Tenzin stated, gesturing to the circle filled with several wooden gates, all standing in a different direction, with the elemental symbol of airbending applied to each one. "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?"

Jinora nodded and stepped forward. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side, _without_ touching them." Jinora explained.

"Seems easy enough." Korra commented.

"Jinora forgot to say that you have to make it through _while_ the gates are spinning." Ikki stated. Jinora rolled her eyes. She watched as her father thrusts his arms forwards, unleashing a burst of air that caused the gates to rotate quickly.

"The key is to be like the leaf." Tenzin stated, airbending a leaf from the palm of his hand through the gates. "_Flow_ with the movement of the gates. Jinora will demonstrate."

Jinora let out a sigh as she ran up to the gates and began weaving her way through. Jinora may not have liked attending those boring parties with her father, but all that dancing really paid off. She recalled the first time she performed the same exercise. Of course, the first few times didn't end well but Jinora got the hang of it in good time. Dancing had helped her become rhythmical and light-footed. Whenever the opportunity struck up, Jinora always accepted invitations to dance with some girls and even a few boys (much to her father's dismay).

Jinora had finally reached the end of the gates. She turned and blew another gust of wind through the panels, causing them to spin rapidly. "Let's do this." Korra stated with an overconfident, determined look on her face. Jinora winced as Korra slammed right into a panel, eventually falling right on her behind after the Avatar's fourth attempt.

"Don't force your way through!" Jinora shouted, rolling her eyes when Ikki and Meelo decided to add in their own little pieces of advice. She grimaced when Korra landed out cold right before their feet. She shook her head as her father lets out a deep sigh.

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><p>Kai, Lian, Xia, and Chen shared some history together. They grew up together on the streets, designing and pulling off schemes together, stealing food and drinks together, etc. They hadn't always known each other. They only became acquainted a few weeks after the death of both Kai's parents. The four of them had gotten close after Kai spent his first few days sleeping behind a dumpster. During the first few months, the four of them had become inseparable... until Kai went down his own path, that is. "What happened?" Kai finally asked, sharing his stale bread with the three. Lian could barely utter out anything coherent.<p>

"Ling's been arrested." Xia replied shakily. "He stole some fruit from the market, but he didn't get away quick enough. The guards caught up with him, tackled him down, and dragged Ling off after cuffing him."

"Ling's always bragged about how he couldn't be caught, and now look at what happened." Chen muttered under his breath. Kai glared at him and slapped the boy in the back of the head.

"That's not cool." Kai said.

"But it's true." Chen argued. Kai knew that Chen was right. Ling was always cocky when it came to his earthbending. All he had to do was steal a loaf of bread, earthbend himself an exit, and he was home free. Kai recalled the countless times Ling would brag about how hard it would be for the guards to catch him during the good old' days. And now it seemed that Ling's arrogance would be the cause of his own downfall.

"Even if it is, it's still not OK to say it, idiot!" Xia cursed Chen loudly in outrage. "Ling was the only family Lian had left!"

"She's right." Kai agreed. "If Ling goes to prison, Lian hardly stands a chance... no offense."

"It's OK; I know I'm weak, and I know that I'm not a strong bender like Ling is." Lian whispered. She looked up at her friends with glassy eyes. "I know I won't be able to survive out in the streets by myself, even if I am smarter than Ling... but I know Ling won't survive in prison. He wasn't meant to live in stone walls. He's always been a free-spirit and he lived freely too. Being in that prison... it'll drive him mad until he breathes his very last breath."

Kai placed a hand on Lian's shoulder. He was confused when she looked at him with glassy eyes that still had a small glimmer of hope. "There's a reason you dragged us all together, isn't there?" He sighed, folding his arms over his chest. Lian visibly gulped, slowly nodding her head.

"I came here because I have a small request for everyone." Lian stated.

"And that is...?" Kai raised an eyebrow as did the others.

* * *

><p>The next day starts off with an early-morning meditation session. Jinora sat in the pavilion next to Ikki, slowing entering a deep trance. However, her trance was interrupted when she heard Korra's voice. "I think I'm doing it wrong." Korra stated.<p>

"There's nothing _to _do." Jinora heard her father say. She furrowed her brows in annoyance and let out a sigh, relaxing her face. "Let your mind and spirit be free, for air is the element of freedom."

She heard Korra chuckle.

"Is something _funny?"_ Tenzin asked.

_"Yeah, you're_ telling me to embrace _freedom,_ but _you_ won't even let me listen to the _radio."_ Korra scoffed. "And _forget_ about leaving this island!"

The conversation goes back and forth between Korra and Jinora's father. Jinora desperately tried to tune them out, but found herself unable to do so. Soon the conversation has ended with Korra leaving to go get lychee juice. Jinora heard her father sigh in defeat. "You three are dismissed, I need to talk to Korra." Tenzin stated. Jinora let out a groan in frustration and stood up on her feet as Ikki shook Meelo awake, who rubbed at his eyes with a sleepy grin on his face.

"I like Korra, but I _don't_ like training with her." Jinora stated after their father left. "She is so _difficult_ to work with, and her complaining made it hard for me to meditate."

"But Korra is _so_ fun." Ikki said.

"I know, but she's so noisy... noisier than you _and_ Meelo combined." Jinora replied. She turned into the direction of their house. Ikki and Meelo followed after her as she walked ahead of them.

* * *

><p>Kai shook his head as he entered his little, rundown home. He sighed. Lian was definitely crazy. If she thought Kai was going to go through with her "little favor", then she had another thing coming. However, as much as Kai wanted to turn her down, he knew he wouldn't sleep well tonight if he did. Lian was a good friend. She needed her friends by her side during this time of need. Even if it meant that Kai would risk his freedom. "I shouldn't keep thinking about this." Kai muttered, slapping himself across the face.<p>

He walked upstairs to his bedroom and grabbed the folded up cloth, wrapping it tightly around his body. He shivered as a cold gust of wind blew through his window. He looked around the cold, damp interior. "I can't live here anymore." He told himself. "This place is driving me crazy."

He grabbed a nearby pail, filled with the loaves of bread he had stole. He had grabbed the remains of the first loaf and quickly gobbled it up. His stomach was still growling. Kai looked at the other loaf hungrily, resisting the urge to just eat the whole thing as well. He shoved the bucket away from himself, knowing that he had to make it last until the week was over. "I really can't live like this anymore." Kai groaned, his head resting onto his arms as he brought his knees up to his chest.

* * *

><p>Korra still wasn't making any progress during the next training session involving the spinning gates. In fact, the session had ended with Korra burning the said contraption down to flames in frustration and storming off. Dinner was pretty quiet, if you excluded Tenzin venting his frustration out to his wife. "Okay!" Pema chirped as she walked into the dining room and set a tray on the table. "Everyone here?"<p>

Jinora peered over her book as she watched her mother look around the room with concern. "Wait... Where's Korra?" Pema asked.

"Honestly, Pema, I am at my wit's end with that girl!" Tenzin sighed in frustration. "I... I don't know how to get through to her!"

Jinora shook her head and returned her book, her ears perking up as she listened in on the conversation between her parents. She subtly watched as her father's expression changed from dejection. Her mother knelt next to her father, placing a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her. "Dear, the best thing you can do right now is to give Korra some space." Pema said sympathetically.

Jinora wasn't sure what to do when he suddenly turned to look at her and Ikki, almost desperate and pleading. "You must promise me that your teenage years won't be like this." He demanded. Jinora gave him a bored, yet incredulous look.

"I will make no such promises." Jinora stated as she slightly lowered her book and glanced over it, leaving her father flabbergasted. Pema laughed.

"What was Daddy talking about?" Ikki whispered to Jinora in a not-so-subtle manner. Jinora sighed and hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Nothing." Jinora replied. She picked up her book again and started to read where she had left off. Once dinner has ended, everyone returns to their rooms except for Jinora's parents. Her parents always liked to spend some quiet time alone together in the living room while she, Ikki, and Meelo went back to their lairs.

"Do you think Korra will _ever_ airbend?" Meelo asked as they walked down the halls to their rooms.

"She's the _Avatar,_ she needs to learn all four elements." Jinora nodded. "It's been like that for _generations._ I think she's having a block. I've been reading about Gran-Gran's old adventures and she wrote about how Avatar Aang went through the same thing with earthbending."

"Why's that?" Ikki asked.

"Because earth is the natural opposite of air." Jinora explained, watching as Meelo chased after a butterfly on his air-scooter.

"But Korra's actually a waterbender; fire is the opposite of water." Ikki pointed out.

"It doesn't always work like that." She shrugged. "It could have to do with Korra's personality."

"That's true." Ikki replied.

"You sure are smart, Jinora." Meelo added.

"Well, I told you, I read a lot." Jinora shrugged as they approached their home. Ikki and Meelo followed Jinora all the way to her room. Jinora let out a sigh as her siblings suddenly became distracted and ran out of her room. She moved to sit by the window and stared at Republic City and all its glory. While she liked learning about her culture and airbending, Jinora wasn't fond of always being cooped up on Air Temple Island. The more she thought about it, the more Jinora realized how right Korra was. The Avatar was sick of having to stay in one place, and Jinora could actually agree.

Jinora moved away from the window and walked away, standing in front of her closet. She was deep in thought, unaware of what she was even doing at that point. "I'm not doing anything tomorrow." Jinora muttered. "Plus, no one will even notice I'm gone because Dad will be with the Council and Mom will be busy with Ikki, Meelo, and doing chores."

Still lost in thought, Jinora began scavenging through her closet and picked out some things. She finally snapped out of her thoughts and stared at the blouse and skirt she had picked out. They weren't that bad. In fact, they were fine. However, Jinora didn't care. She only cared about getting off the island without being caught. She sighed and put them back. "I need to think of a plan, though." She told herself. "I can't just jump right into things. That never works out well... It definitely hasn't worked out well for Korra."

Jinora grinned as she moved away from her closet. She sat down on her bed. "But, then again, I'm _not_ Korra." She added as she began thinking long and hard about tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I admit that this chapter was a little dry and boring. But, hey, at least I tried, right? It's not like I poured all my soul and energy into writing this. Pshh, not me. I wonder what Lian has in store for Kai and his other street-rat friends... Me? What do I think? Of course, I know what's gonna happen! I wrote this fanfic! But I'll let you all guess. The answer should be pretty obvious. If you can't figure it out... then oh well :P<strong>**  
><strong>

**I also have a nice surprise in store for the next chapter! Of course I won't be telling a soul, so feel free to guess the surprise as well if you want. ****R&R! No flames please, however criticism will be gladly accepted. See you soon!**

**_~L. Dylan~_**

**Goal: 15-20 Reviews (please)**


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